The sun hasn't set on Scott McNealy, at least not yet. In fact, you'll likely see more of the deposed Sun Microsystems CEO in the Beltway, in statehouses across the country and on college campuses around the world. The question that remains to be seen is if this former dot-com high-flier can transition from the corner office to a leadership role in the world's largest IT vertical.
McNealy's long-predicted ouster from the CEO's office is hardly a removal. While he's turning over the company to his second-in-command, Jonathan Schwartz, he retains the chairmanship and will become a "strategic evangelist." Most of all, he will be cultivating Sun's relationships in the government and education markets globally, as well as expanding the company's strategic relationships.
"There are two reasons that keep you enthusiastic about drawing a paycheck: because you love your job or you love your boss," McNealy said on a conference call announcing the management changes. "I've been in a rare position to have both, and I'm looking forward to the coming 10 years as we pull off the next transformation of Sun."
The change is curious, and government solution providers have a right to be skeptical. McNealy did oversee the complete rise and fall of one of the brightest IT companies during the bubble. Some critics charge that his stubbornness to keep Sun a proprietary shop for so long hurt its competitive market position. While the company continues to pump up to $500 million a year in R&D, its products are no longer known for their innovation. And, probably worst of all in the eyes of many, you can't sum up Sun's core value proposition in 25 words or less.
Love him or hate him, McNealy is the consummate spokesperson and evangelist for his company, partners and customers. The public sector is fertile ground for a personality like McNealy, who relishes the opportunity to expound the value of his products and the services that can be leveraged with Sun's technology.
In his 22 years in the corner office, McNealy never shied away from stoking the flames at Sun. At the height of the worm and virus outbreaks in 2001 and 2002, McNealy was quick to hammer rival Bill Gates for the insecurity of his software relative to Solaris. While Intel was pushing processor power with Linux, he was on the stump boasting the power and performance of Solaris--and Sparc-based Sun servers. And he fought to ensure governance over Sun's Java software.
With Schwartz now at the helm, McNealy will be free of the day-to-day management challenges and have the unfettered ability to bring his enthusiasm and persuasiveness to support public-sector partners. His arrival in the Beltway could spark a new dawn for Sun in the public-sector channel. In 10 years, we'll see if McNealy is still shining brightly.
Lawrence M. Walsh
Editor
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